FY22 Annual Report Snapshots

Think College Vermont is an innovative academic, social, and vocational program for students with disabilities seeking a college experience and career path. Students attend UVM with peer mentors, personalized learning opportunities, and a robust social and emotional network. They take between 9 and 18 credits to earn a Certificate of Professional Studies.

The UVM Autism Collaborative is a group of Autistics, families, caregivers, researchers and clinicians working together to improve the quality of life for autistic people through research done collaboratively with Autistics. The Collaborative involves staff and faculty from CDCI, the University of Vermont Medical Center, the College of Nursing and Health Sciences, and the University Provost, as well as multiple community organizations.

The Building Effective Supports for Teaching (BEST) Project offers professional learning opportunities and hands-on support to help Vermont schools build school-wide systems that benefit all students —but especially those at risk of or who experience social, emotional, and behavioral challenges. In FY 2022, BEST provided support to more than 50% of Vermont schools.

Vermont Early Mobility provides support for families and school/ medical teams to access early mobility options for children ages 6 months to 6 years. In FY 2022, Vermont Early Mobility began collaboration with the UVM Center for Biomedical Innovation (CBI) in building a prototype for a new early mobility vehicle for Vermont children. They also worked with UVM’s Senior Experience in Engineering Design project on a different mobility design.

The Vermont Continence Project continues to provide consultation, training, and resources, to support continence and toileting for Vermont children. In FY 2022, the Vermont Continence Project supported a nurse practitioner doctoral student with their capstone project on childhood constipation.

Led by University Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Education Michael F. Giangreco EVOLVE Plus worked to increase the probability that the lives of students with disabilities will be better because they were educated in Vermont schools. In FY 2022, Dr. Giangreco retired, after more than 30 years of service to CDCI and the University of Vermont. However, Dr. Giangrego gifted his collection of respected cartoons, The Absurdities and Realities of Special Education, to UVM Digital Collections, where they will continue to be available for enjoyment and re-use.

In FY 2022, CDCI launched a new project focusing on Accessibility Resources. The project includes both resources made by the CDCI, as well as a curated collection of existing resources that help people at CDCI and UVM do better at creating accessible events, presentations, presentation recordings, websites, brochures, and flyers.

The Vermont Assistive Technology Program (VATP) supports full access to assistive technology for Vermonters with disabilities and aging- related needs, in education, work, and their communities. In FY 2022, the VATP served more than 1800 Vermonters, with more than 1200 core service events, including assistive technology placements, webinars, and trainings.

FY 2022 introduced Confident Care for Kids (CCFK), a Vermont- wide collaboration aiming to create less stressful vaccine visits for children who have high-sensory needs and experience anxiety when they get vaccinated. CCFK provides training to healthcare staff, as well as a free downloadable resource kit for parents and caregivers. The CDCI is proud to collaborate on this project with the University of Vermont Children’s Hospital, the Vermont Developmental Disabilities Council, and the Vermont Family Network. Illustrations used to advertise CCFK online. By Robyn Freedman- Maguire.

The Vermont Interdisciplinary Team (I-Team) provides technical assistance and training for teams working with Vermont children who need intensive special education. Their expertise includes occupational therapy, physical therapy, speech-language pathology, and speech- languge pathology. They provide additional expertise in early childhood intervention. In FY 2022, the Vermont I-Team served 179 Vermont children and youth across 37 Vermont schools. Photos: scenes from an I-Team monthly meeting at the Davis Center on the UVM campus.

The Supported Employment program at CDCI aims to help people with significant disabilities become employed and included in the community workforce. In FY 2022, the Supported Employment program capped off another successful year with a hands-on assistive technology summit in Fairlee VT. Featured speaker Tony Gentry provided state- of-the-art professional learning to nearly 50 attendees from around Vermont.